The Audio Long Read ‘Any other child would have died’: the miraculous survival of Nada Itrab
May 1, 2026
A nine-year-old taken from Barcelona and transported to Bolivia, where deception, forced labor and abuse reshape her life. A cross-border investigation, wiretaps and a risky rainforest rescue bring her back. Years of institutional failures, mental health battles and recovery follow, leading her to advocacy, legal fights and a quest to make trafficked children visible.
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Farm Labour Religion And Brutal Abuse
- Morales forced Nada into hard labour on farms and into a messianic Ayminpú sect, escalating sexual violence and mutilation, including a machete wound doused in gasoline.
- She learned survival skills like fishing and fire-making while being beaten for not working hard enough.
Bureaucracy And Local Deals Enabled Rescue
- International rescue was slowed by bureaucracy and politicised relations, delaying Spanish Civil Guard access and allowing Morales to move deeper into Bolivia.
- Hidalgo negotiated local deals, in one case buying 500 kilos of sugar to secure farmers' help to capture Morales.
Farmers Helped Seize Captor And Free Nada
- Local coca growers captured Morales and hid Nada until police helicopters could extraction her from a remote Yungas village in March 2014.
- Hidalgo and Bolivian police flew in two helicopters, found Nada wearing a bright blue headscarf and brought her home.